It is a common neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children. One out of 10 children between ages four to seventeen gets diagnosed with ADHD. A child presenting different signs like fidgeting or restlessness may have Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD. Children with ADHD exhibit various symptoms that often go unnoticed. Sometimes the symptoms get mixed with the usual behaviors existing among children of a certain age. Many studies report that the symptoms of ADHD improve with age. However, it still needs a combination of medicine and behavioral therapies. Parents spend most of their time with children after their learning hours. The teachers at school or other learning places may somewhat manage the ADHD symptoms. Still, parents also need to learn specific management techniques to help their children. Behavioral therapies help children with ADHD to cope with their symptoms.
Children with ADHD have a broad spectrum of behavioral patterns that can be difficult to tackle at times, but they can become easier to manage through occupational therapy in Townsville. From being impulsive to cranky or staying restless, calming down a child often becomes difficult. These children may not listen to you at times, and calming them down during their classrooms or at home usually takes a toll on the caregivers if they dont know how to intervene. Following are some of the effective therapies or behavioral management techniques suggested for children with ADHD.
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Positive reinforcements
Therapists practice different techniques to help their clients and patients. These modern interventions are possible due to applied behavioral science. So, what is applied behavioral science? As the name suggests, it has to do with observing and understanding particular behavioral patterns to devise a coping mechanism. For example, children with ADHD are impulsive; therefore, instead of forcing them to complete their homework or any other task, try inculcating positive reinforcements.
The positive reinforcement approach for ADHD involves appreciation and compliments upon completion of any task. For instance, if a child has fetched you a glass of water, telling them how grateful you are for their help will lift their morale and encourage them to repeat the same action. Likewise, appreciating them for completing their homework or compensating them with a yummy treat also works as positive reinforcement.
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Time-out
It is vital to understand that children with ADHD are more responsive to rewards than punishment. If a child is fidgeting a lot or throws many tantrums, instead of punishing them for controlling their behavior, try the time-out technique. This technique involves a break from whatever behavior the child is exhibiting to calm them down. It involves a child sitting quietly in the time-out period, and in case the child is still restless, the parents or therapist can tell them that their time-out is 8 minutes.
Increasing the duration for the time-out method is effective only when you tell the child that they can reduce it to half by sitting quietly. The time-out tool is effective when you empower the child to control how much time they need to calm down. In other words, the time-out technique is all about removing access to the desired activity because of unwanted behavior.
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Response cost method
It is a behavioral modification that focuses on utilizing the negative behavior as a consequence. Knowing that children with ADHD struggle with their studies and may easily get distracted, the therapists often tell parents about response cost techniques. This technique is more like introducing the result as an effect of a response by the child. For instance, if a child does not complete their homework, they may lose their free-time privilege to play their favorite game. These techniques are effective, but one should be aware of the duration of techniques they are applying. Continuing the response cost for a longer time will initiate a negative response. As a result, the child may not respond to this technique the next time.
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Token economy
This behavioral therapy technique involves a reward system as a behavior modification. The rewards in this technique are not monetary but tangible, like tokens, food, stickers, or a favorite stationery item for positive behavior. For instance, you can tell a child that they will get a sticker for completing a task even if it involves sitting silently for some time. It is more like combining the reward and consequence. The child earns rewards or privileges in response to a desirable behavior and may lose those rewards upon unwanted behaviors.
Conclusion
3% to 5% of children in the US get diagnosed with ADHD. Behavior therapy is essential with medicines to control and manage the symptoms. Behavioral therapy techniques understand the limitations that children with ADHD face and experience. A little behavioral modification with constant efforts can alleviate the intensity of symptoms and reinforce the positive behavioral patterns in these children.
Behavior therapy aims to help parents and other people understand their role in a childs life and how knowing some simple behavioral techniques can help them get along with others without any hurdle. These techniques can help a child adopt good and positive behavior instead of practicing an unwanted behavioral response. Parents and teachers can learn these simple techniques while visiting a therapist. Knowing these interventions makes it easy to control the unwanted behavior and assist in better behavioral modifications in a child. These symptoms do reduce with age but shifting the behavioral pattern towards a positive one makes it easy to taper down the unwanted behavioral patterns.
